A teenage climate activist is to hold a talk and Q&A session at Congleton Town Hall on Friday (29 October) as part of the Congleton Climate Festival.

The eco-youth and school-strike climate campaigner Esther Bird (14) will host an engaging presentation and Q&A session about how we can use our ever-growing climate anxiety as fuel to create change.

The evening will explore how young people can make meaningful change when it often feels like we have no agency.

The event takes place as world leaders prepare to meet in Glasgow next week for COP26, the annual UN climate change conference.

Esther's social action began with an online petition to ban single-use plastic bottles at her school in Macclesfield.

Since then, in 2018 she became a founding member of the town's new interschool youth eco group, and became an ambassador for Action For Conservation - a charity with a mission to create the next generation of nature conservationists.

She has also been appointed to the Leadership Group of the UK's first large scale youth-led nature restoration project.

The inspiring young eco-activist presented a Tedx Talk in 2019 where she discussed her journey into climate activism, which can be viewed here.

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Discussing some of the negativity which climate activism can attract, Esther said: "I am proud to be part of the 'snowflake' generation, because when snowflakes come together, they form snowballs.

"And once you start pushing who knows what can happen."

Esther's presentation and Q&A will take place at Congleton Town Hall on Friday 29 October from 6-8pm.

Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

The week of environmental activities will close with a Green Fayre on Saturday 30 October between 10am-4pm.

Taking place on Congleton High Street, the fayre will consist of more than 30 stalls housing a wide range of local community groups, organisations and businesses who have signed up to showcase their work on the climate emergency.

All the stalls will have information, products and services which will help local people live more sustainably.

Stalls will include Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Congleton Food4Free, Congleton In Bloom, Plastic Free Congleton and many more.

You can read more about why the Congleton event is so important here.

Further information and a full list of stalls and activities can be found at this link.

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